Christian Classics
‹ The Johannine Writings
Contents
PrefaceIntroduction1. Duration of Jesus’ Ministery.2. Scene of Jesus’ Ministry.3. The Classes of People among Whom Jesus Moved.4. Course of Jesus’ Ministry.Jesus’ Works of Wonder.6. The General Picture of Jesus.7. Genuine Human Characteristics of Jesus?8. Development of Jesus in the Course of His Work.9. Form of Jesus’ Discourses.10. Subject of Jesus’ Discourses.11. Demands Made of Jesus in His Discourses.12. Misunderstandings as Regards Jesus’ Discourses.Chapter II. Attempts to Reconcile the First Three Gospels with the Fourth.1. Earlier Attempts to Reconcile them Completely.2. Modern Attempts to Reconcile them Approximately.3. Use of the Synoptics by Jn.4. Is Jn’s Purpose simply to Supplement and Correct?5. Jn.’s Purpose not merely to Supplement and Correct.6. Are Several Journeys of Jesus to Jerusalem Presupposed in Mt. xxiii. 37?7. Is Jesus’ Relationship to God in Mt. xi. 27 the same as in Jn.?8. Inaccurate Recollection on the Part of the Apostle John?1. Reasons for Favouring Jn.2. Preference for the Synoptics on the Whole.3. Influence of Jesus with His Hearers.4. Course of Jesus’ Public Work.5. Jesus’ Style of Speaking.6. Misunderstandings as Regards Jesus’ Discourses.7. Repetitions in Jesus’ Discourses.8. Leaves in Jn. Wrongly Arranged.9. Careless Description in Jn.10. Colourless Descriptions in Jn.11. The Picture of John the Baptist.12. Injudicious Reliance on the Synoptics.13. Astounding Nature of the Miracles in Jn.14. Are Miracles Possible?15. Must We Believe in Miracles?16. Silence in the Synoptics as to the Miracles in Jn.17. The Miracles in Jn. Symbolic.18. The Feeding a Fact for Jn. in Spite of All?19. Are the Other Miracles Facts for Jn.?20. Traditions Known Only to Jn.?21. Amplification of the Story of Lazarus on the Basis of Lk.22. Other Amplification in Jn.23. Divergence as to Jesus’ Death.24. Day of Jesus’ Death According to the Synoptics Conceivable.25. The Day of Jesus’ Death Artificially Fixed in Jn.26. The Story of Jesus’ Resurrection.27. Introduction of Conditions of a Later Period.28. Precise Statements of Time in Jn.Conclusion.Chapter IV. Fundamental Ideas of the Fourth Gospel and Their Origins.1. Revelation through “the Word” (the Logos).2. The Logos as Reason.3. Jesus as Logos in the New Testament Epistles.4. Mingling of Religions at the Time of Jn.5. Gnosticism.6. The Prologue of the Fourth Gospel.7. Jesus as Logos Throughout the Fourth Gospel.8. Suppression of Human Traits in Jesus.9. Kingdom of God and Kingdom of the Devil According to Jn.10. Children of God and of the Devil.11. Softening of the Opposition.12. Difference between Jn. and the Gnostics.13. Jn’s Leaning to the Teaching of the Church.Conclusion.Introduction.Chapter I. Author of the Fourth Gospel and Date at Which It Was Written.1. Papias’ Teacher in Ephesus: John the Elder.2. Polycarp’s Teacher in Ephesus: John the Elder.3. The Apostle John not in Ephesus.4. Confusion of the Two Johns.5. Early Death of the Apostle John (in Palestine).6. Result as Far as the Fourth Gospel Is Concerned.7. The Testimony of the Beloved Disciple.8. Further Witness of the Author to Himself (Jn. xix. 35).9. No Deception in Writing Under Pseudonyms.10. Chapter XXI. An Appendix from Another Pen.11. The Real Picture of John the Apostle.12. Mistakes as to the Condition of Things in Palestine.13. John the Elder not the Writer of the Fourth Gospel.14. What Kind of Person Was the Fourth Evangelist?15. Date at Which the Fourth Gospel Was Composed.16. The Apostle is not Mentioned as the Author until after the Year 170.17. Value of these “External Evidences.”18. The Gospel not Used before 140.19. Used without Recognition in the Years 140-170.20. Conclusion as to the “External Evidences.”21. Mention of Bar Cochba’s Insurrection in Jn. V. 43.22. The Fourth Gospel not the Work of Several Authors.Chapter II. The First Epistle of John.1. Main Purpose: to Oppose the Gnostics.2. Agreement with Gnosticism.4. The Epistle not by the Author of the Gospel.5. Date of Composition.6. Secondary Purpose: Recommendation of the Fourth Gospel.1. Purpose of the Two Epistles.2. Address of the Two Epistles.3. Author of the Two Epistles and Date of Composition.1. Various Interpretations.2. Combination of Separate Fragments.3. A Leaflet on the Fate of Jerusalem.4. Prophecy Concerning Rome and the First Beast.5. The Number 666.6. Time of Composition.7. The Author not the Author of the Fourth Gospel.8. The Author not the Apostle John.9. The Author John the Elder?10. Spirit of the Book.Chapter V. Spirit and Value of the Gospel and Epistles of John.1. Admission of the Gentiles into the Christian Body.2. Struggle with the Jews.3. Appreciation of Montanism and Gnosticism.4. Ideas about the State after Death.5. Jesus the Son of God and Logos in Heaven.6. Emphasis on the Church.7. Jesus as a Divine Being upon Earth.8. Why Did Jn. Write a Gospel?9. Some Special Ideas of Abiding Value.10. Communion with God.11. Redemption through Jesus.12. Spiritualising of Materialistic Ideas.13. Final Appreciation.Note to Page 248Note to Page 250.Books Recommended.Biblical Passages Explained.

Paul Schmiedel · 15 of 128

Chapter II. Attempts to Reconcile the First Three Gospels with the Fourth.

WE might have shown many other differences between the Synoptics and Jn. But it will be better to notice them at a later stage. We shall therefore pause here to deal with a question which must have occurred to many of our readers long before this: Are the accounts in the four Gospels really so fundamentally different? Is there no way of them?